Articles

After the 2013 International Montessori Congress, I was invited to write an article about the Montessori Prepared Environment for three to six year olds. Following is the link to the January 2014 issue of Montessori Pro Rodinu. The original English article is posted below.

Beyond the Pink Tower: What Parents Need to Know about the Primary Montessori Prepared Environment

By Mary Da Prato

A Montessori Casa, or classroom for three to six year old students, consists of three core elements: developmentally appropriate mixed-age groups, the trained Montessori guide, and a complete set of the official scientifically designed Montessori manipulatives.[1] The combination of these three essential elements becomes the Prepared Environment, a learning environment that best suits the physical, intellectual, and emotional development of each individual child. For optimal results, Montessori students are organized into three year mixed-age groups instead of single-age groups. The appropriate three year age groupings are determined by stages of cognitive development known in Montessori as the “Four Planes of Development.” Children from birth through six years of age comprise the First Plane. The First Plane can be divided into two age groups: birth through three years of age and three through six years of age. A Montessori Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, is designed to best meet the needs and desires of children ages three through six, although many students are ready to begin their life in the Casa at two years and ten months of age depending on readiness. In a mixed-age environment, younger students have older children, not just adults, as friends, mentors, and advocates. Older children in turn have the opportunity to assist their younger peers which reinforces self-esteem, patience, and compassion. Additionally, older children gain confidence in their own skills by helping their younger classmates. An older child who helps a younger child tie a bow, for example, refines his own bow tying skills. To further support social skills among mixed-age groups of children, and to ensure the correct proportion of three, four, five, and six year olds in a given Casa, twenty-five to forty students should be in a single classroom with only one teacher and as many aides as are required for supervision purposes. Contrary to popular belief, small class sizes make students too dependent upon adult assistance, which eliminates the opportunity to develop individual problem solving skills. Classes with too few students also limit social interactions among different ages of children within the Casa. A small class of ten students, for instance, may only have one or two five year olds whereas a class of forty students would likely have ten five year olds to interact with and assist younger students. Despite relatively large class sizes, students in a Montessori Casa receive much one-on-one attention from the trained Montessori teacher in the form of individual or small group lessons known as presentations. Unlike a traditional teacher who acts as a lecturer in front of the entire class, a Montessori teacher guides individual students through developmentally appropriate presentations in various sequential skills at the child’s pace. The length of a presentation depends upon its complexity and the student’s understanding of the material. Once the lesson is complete, the guide gives control of the manipulative to the child and retreats to the perimeter of the room to observe. Now that the child has received the material’s initial presentation, he is free to use the manipulative for as long as he wishes or put it away to use at another time. Either way, the child no longer needs the guide to assist him with the material presented because the material itself will teach him from this moment forward. It is not even necessary for the guide to correct the child’s work with the manipulative because of its self-correcting nature known as the “control of error.” Work with a didactic manipulative such as the Cylinder Blocks, for example, is very straightforward even to the youngest students. In this exercise, there are ten precisely measured cylinders which must be placed into the correct holes of the Cylinder Block. If the child places a cylinder in the incorrect hole, it will not fit properly. The guide does not need to correct the child because the control of error, in this case the cylinder not fitting in the hole, is perfectly obvious. The control of error allows the child to independently correct his own mistakes without the embarrassment that comes from traditional corrections such as bad grades and red marks on a paper. Through self-correction, however, students develop friendliness toward error which allows them the freedom to make mistakes and to learn from them without external pressure or guidance. Students have ample time to repeat tasks, correct mistakes, and make discoveries because they choose their own work during an uninterrupted three hour time block. In the child-centered Prepared Environment, children are free to choose their own work within natural limits. Starting on the first day of school, new students are familiarized with the three main rules of the Casa. First, any child may take a material he has had a lesson in from the shelf. Second, the child who takes the material may use it for as long as he wants. Third, when he is done using the material, he must return it to the proper place on the shelf in its original condition. These three simple rules regarding classroom procedures eliminate the need to create long lists of behavioral expectations in the Casa. The first rule, which states that any child may take a material he has had a lesson in from the shelf, establishes order in self-directed learning. If a material is not on the shelf, that material is not allowed to be taken away from the child who is currently using it. This rule protects a child who is working from intrusion by other students and even other adults in the room. As long as a child is using a material properly during work time, not even the teacher may interrupt him or tell him he must share the manipulative with another child. If the child were forced to share, it would disrupt his concentration and the ability to use the material to its best advantage as most manipulatives are designed for individual use. To disrupt the child would also be a violation of the second rule of the classroom, which states that a child who has taken a material from the shelf may work with that material for as long as he wants. Once the material is returned to the shelf in its original condition, any child who has had a lesson may take it and use it, which satisfies the third rule of the classroom. This is a more natural way for young children to share and helps develop patience and problem solving skills. Since there is only one of each material in the classroom, and a child may not take an unavailable material from another child, he must decide independently what he would like to do while waiting to use the manipulative of his choice. Freedom of choice extends beyond the Primary classroom’s didactic materials. Children in the Casa are also free to choose when they would like to use the restroom, drink water, or eat a snack. To preserve and protect each child’s dignity and to promote functional independence, none of these actions require permission from an adult. The organization of the Prepared Environment itself allows children to safely perform these tasks independently. A bathroom, drinking fountain or water cooler, and snack preparation materials are located within the Casa for ease of use. Many Prepared Environments also include a fenced outdoor environment adjacent to the Casa which children may access at will during work time provided they are dressed appropriately for the weather. The outdoor environment, or outdoor classroom, is just as educational as the indoor classroom. Outdoor experiences such as gardening and botany are both educational fields best learned outdoors. Traditional childhood games like hide and seek, tag, and jump rope promote physical fitness as well as the opportunity to take turns and otherwise get along with one another. On pleasant days, activities from the classroom such as reading, painting, and geography puzzles, can be taken to tables that are located outside so that children can enjoy the fresh air while they work.[2][3] Montessori materials and activities are organized into four areas of focus: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Mathematics. Practical Life activities are the child’s entry point into the classroom. Games and exercises that promote gross and fine motor coordination, manners, hygiene, personal care, environmental care, and art are all included in this area. [4][5] Children learn values such as respect, cooperation, taking turns, and peaceful conflict resolution through brief skits called “Grace and Courtesy” or “Social Relations.” These lessons are performed by the teacher who is sometimes assisted by the aide and older children.[6] Fun activities such as “Walking on the Line” give children the opportunity to improve balance and motor skills. “Care of the Person” activities include practical exercises such as “Dressing Frames” that help children practice buttoning buttons and tying bows. Through “Care of the Environment,” students learn how to care for clothing, plants, animals, and any other aspects of the environment that need attention.[7] Sensorial materials are used to explore the five senses and their qualities. There is an activity for each sense: touch, visual, auditory, smell, and taste. The qualities of a sense, such as color, texture, and pitch, are also explored in separate materials.[8] When a child has ample experience with each isolated Sensorial exercise, he will be given lessons in “Mixed Impression” activities. Mixed Impression materials use combinations of the senses that the child has already experienced. Geography and Botany are also classified as Sensorial exercises because of how they are used. Materials such as the Sandpaper Globe and Painted Globe provide a concrete, tactile introduction to the abstract world of Geography. Continents and countries are represented by removable puzzle pieces on a map. Leaf shapes in the botany area are also presented as puzzle pieces that the child can manipulate, trace, and identify. Formal and informal language exercises are integral to the Montessori curriculum on both an academic and social level. Structured academic language activities include vocabulary lessons, writing, reading, spelling, and sentence diagramming. All of these lessons are presented in a developmentally appropriate manner that children also find enjoyable. In addition to these individual presentations, children have the opportunity to participate in group activities that focus on spoken language. At any time of the day, adults in the room may initiate spoken language experiences such as reading books, telling oral stories, reading poetry, singing songs, and playing games such as “I Spy” with children who are interested. Listening to stories and playing language games are not only entertaining but enrich vocabulary and prepare the child for creative writing in the future.[9] Fun with language extends beyond the academic and into the social realm. Children in the Casa learn how to interact with one another respectfully and are free to do so at almost any time. Casual conversations between children and adults or children and other children help students perfect their spoken language skills and the art of conversation. Conversation is considered a legitimate work choice for children in the Casa and is as respected as all other subject areas.[10] The study of mathematics begins when a child is about four years old, although an individual child may be ready for his first math lesson sooner or later than the suggested age. Math exercises in the Casa include manipulating numbers through the millions; exploring the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; solving word problems; and working with fractions. It is important to note that these math experiences are not burdensome since they are presented when developmentally appropriate using concrete manipulatives and games that are naturally attractive to children.[11] Subjects such as art, botany, drama, geography, and music used to belong to an area of focus called “Cultural Extensions,” but are now woven into the other four areas of the Casa. Cultural Extension exercises are incorporated into the other subject areas to prevent them from being considered superfluous when they are, in fact, just as essential to the holistic development of the individual child as practical skills and academics. The guide is responsible for presenting every lesson in each subject area, including activities such as art and music. There are no separate art or music teachers in the Casa because art and music are integrated within the holistic framework of the Casa. Just like any other presentation, students are free to choose art and music exercises at will during their uninterrupted three hour time block following an initial presentation. Above all, every lesson in the Casa is fun, open-ended, and cognitively suitable for three to six year old children. Besides mixed-age groups, a trained Montessori guide, and didactic materials, the Prepared Environment also relies upon parental involvement. Parents and the Montessori guide form a partnership that is essential to each child’s education. Being an effective Montessori parent extends beyond attendance at parent-teacher conferences, parent nights, and other school functions. Montessori is a lifestyle. The Prepared Environment children experience in the Casa should be reinforced at home. Even if you are not Montessori trained, there are small ways you can bring Montessori into your home. Begin with simple accommodations such as providing your children with open shelving for their activities rather than tossing articles into a disorganized toy chest. Provide your child with a child-sized rug as a work and play space that controls clutter. Have intelligent conversations with your child about age appropriate topics such as nature in their backyard or in the park. Involve your child and encourage participation in age appropriate household tasks under adult supervision such as folding laundry, matching socks, assisting in feeding pets, and measuring dry and liquid ingredients during meal preparation. When you attend your next parent-teacher conference, ask your child’s guide for additional ideas on how to make your home Montessori friendly and child-centered. Creating a Prepared Environment at home is not necessarily an easy task, but it is a worthwhile task, one that prepares children for life.References[1] Montessori, Maria. The Secret of Childhood. Trans. Barbara B. Carter. Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 2006. Print. Page 147.[2] Montessori, Maria. "The House of Children." The NAMTA Journal 38.1 (2013): 11-19. Print.[3] Montessori, Maria. "Nature in Education." The NAMTA Journal 38.1 (2013): 21-27. Print.[4] Montessori, Maria. The Discovery of the Child. Trans. Mary A. Johnstone. Chennai: Kalakshetra, 2006. Print. Pages 86-88.[5] Montessori, Maria. Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2005. Print. Pages 18-30.[6] Montessori, Maria. The Secret of Childhood. Trans. Barbara B. Carter. Hyderbad: Orient Longman, 2006. Print. Pages 132-135.[7] Montessori, Maria. Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2005. Print. Pages 18-30.[8] Ibid. Pages 30-87.[9] Ibid. Pages 91-109.[10] Montessori, Maria. The Absorbent Mind. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clio, 2004. Print. The Clio Montessori Ser. Pages 111-112.[11] Montessori, Maria. Creative Development in the Child. Ed. Rukmini Ramachadran. Vol. 1. Chennai: Kalakshetra, 1998. Print. Pages 132-134.

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